Sensing elements are used in a variety of applications to sense characteristics of an environment. Sensing elements include, but are not limited to, pressure sensing elements, temperature sensing elements, light sensing elements, acoustic sensing elements, and magnetic field sensing elements.
A magnetic field sensor can include one or more magnetic field sensing elements and also other electronics.
Magnetic field sensors can be used in a variety of applications. In one application, a magnetic field sensor can be used to detect a direction of a magnetic field. In another application, a magnetic field sensor can be used to sense an electrical current. One type of current sensor uses a Hall effect magnetic field sensing element in proximity to a current-carrying conductor.
Planar Hall elements and vertical Hall elements are known types of magnetic field sensing elements that can be used in magnetic field sensors. A planar Hall element tends to be responsive to magnetic field perpendicular to a surface of a substrate on which the planar Hall element is formed. A vertical Hall element tends to be responsive to magnetic field parallel to a surface of a substrate on which the vertical Hall element is formed.